Traitor Baby
by FollowYourSmile
Summary: Natasha Romanoff babysits for the Barton kids. Just a short bit of fluff that may or may not make it into my longer fic at a later date.


_Author note: This is a very short, possibly poorly written piece of fluff. It was inspired by a piece of art that I stumbled across and haven't been able to find again. This one-shot was written for my own amusement and to help me get some feelings out. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story._

* * *

Clint Barton always had trouble getting his wife out of the door.

When he was home, he liked to try to take her out for a day – just the two of them – and as always, he had called in his best friend to babysit. Natasha Romanoff stood, nodding politely as his wife entered minute twenty-five of her lecture. Clint caught her eye and saw a flicker of a smile pass across her lips. It was a private joke, that Laura would trust Natasha to save her husband's life but would still give her a lecture before leaving their children in the redhead's care.

"-and no ice-cream for lunch. Make sure Cooper does his homework and that everyone does their chores. And-"

Clint gently put his hand over his wife's mouth. "Honey, enough. Nat's got this." He grinned at his friend and moved his hand away. Next to Laura, Natasha was the person he trusted most in the world. Taking his wife's hand and pulling her out the front door, he called out jokingly, "Try not to burn the house down!"

Natasha closed the door and heard Laura slap Clint on the arm for making the joke. She paused at the door, listening to the truck's engine roaring to life and trundling down the dirt road into the distance before a voice called out from the dining room. "Aunty Nat? Nathaniel stinks!"

She grimaced. This was much more pleasant when they were toilet-trained.

* * *

"Are you sure that's how it's supposed to go on?"

Natasha shot a look at the little brunette who was peering over her shoulder. In all of the lectures that Laura had given her, she somehow neglected to mention how the restraint on Nathaniel's stroller worked. It was the same one they had used for Lila and Natasha remembered pushing her in it then, but that was years ago and she couldn't remember the specifics. She growled in frustration, causing Lila to giggle. "Okay, new plan. Who wants to play hide and seek?"

* * *

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Natasha was crouched behind a bush, holding the baby as she listened to Lila running around looking for them. Cooper had run behind the tractor and had accidentally kicked one his father's tools when he hid, causing the clang of metal on metal to ring out and giving Lila a big clue as to where her brother was. The same argument had broken out at the beginning of the game. Natasha had offered to count, but Cooper had protested because she always found them too easily. He had counted first but Lila had gotten upset about him finding her quickly and it wasn't as easy for Nat to hide the little girl when she had to hold the baby.

"Ha! I found you, Cooper!" Lila sounded so pleased that Nat couldn't help but smile. The baby in her arms laughed and put his chubby hands up to her face. She shushed him but he gurgled louder and babbled at her so loudly that she was barely aware of Lila and Cooper running towards the bush she was hiding behind. The moment she looked up, she saw Lila's triumphant face beaming at her. Natasha stood and held the baby at arms length, her eyes narrowed at him. "You really are a traitor," she stated.

* * *

"I hear Daddy's truck!" Lila bounced off the couch towards the window, hopping up and down with excitement. It was sweet, Natasha thought, how ecstatic the little girl was at seeing her parents after such a short separation. She felt a little pang in her stomach when she considered she would never know that kind of love. Shaking the thought away, she called the girl back to the table, "Hey, come finish the game."

Lila bounced back over and climbed into her chair, picking up her hand of cards which she had carelessly left facing upwards. Natasha had pretended not to notice. The tiny brunette hummed and swung her legs before asking, "Have you got any sevens?"

Natasha handed over a single card, smiling softly as Lila wriggled and put down four sevens just as the front door opened. She turned excitedly in her chair and called out, "Daddy, I'm winning!"

Clint Barton smiled at his daughter, "Good for you, sweetheart." He walked over and kissed both his children on the head before crouching down and checking his son's homework. "That's really good work, Coop. I'm proud of you." Squeezing his son's shoulder, he stood up with the feeling that something was missing.

"Nat," Clint queried as he scanned the room, his eyes settling on the empty playpen. "Where's the baby?"

Natasha showed no sign of having heard him but shifted her cards to look at Lila as she asked, "Got any fours?"

"Go fish!"

Clint moved behind his daughter and pulled two fours from her cards, tossing them onto the table as Natasha smirked, nudged Lila's chair with her foot and said, "Cheater." He leaned toward her.

"Nat. Where is the baby?"

She paused then looked up at him, expressionless. "Jail."

Clint raised an eyebrow and looked from his giggling daughter to his eldest son who rolled his eyes with a grin and pointed to the ceiling, hinting that his little brother was upstairs.

Although he trusted Natasha, Clint couldn't help but feel like he should find his youngest son before his wife did and he bolted up the stairs as she walked in the front door.

Laura Barton watched quizzically as her husband ran passed her and, after a moment of hesitation, cautiously made her way to the dining room to greet her children. She hugged her daughter and smiled at Natasha as she said, "So, no fires then?"

Nat grinned and was about to respond when she heard Clint's laughter from upstairs. Laura frowned up at the ceiling and murmured, "What in the world?"

Lila jumped up on her seat, "Daddy found Nathaniel in traitor jail!"

As Laura looked from the ceiling to her daughter and Cooper shook with silent laughter next to her, Natasha thought she had never stared so hard at a deck of cards in her entire life. Clint came down the stairs, carrying Nathaniel and still chuckling.

Natasha stood and slipped her jacket on as Clint handed Nathaniel to his mother. Laura looked at the sign taped her son's onesie. "Traitor Baby?"

"He gave her away during hide and seek," Cooper explained. "Aunty Nat doesn't like losing," Lila added for good measure. Clint guffawed again, and this time Laura chuckled too. As the Barton family laughed together, Natasha slipped out the front door, pleased to have brought merriment to their home.


End file.
